Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-25
RHEA.
An Interview With the Great French
Actress.
As Charming In Private Life ~ Fsscina-
ting on tho Stsge-Hsr Opening Per-
formance in Pygmalion and Galstea-
A Brilliant Success.

ASHcds Vuo kEC0V IASACu neCAV0S
whose coming has been awaited with. 81
much curiosity everywhere, arrived il
Butte yesterday morning, after a long rid
from Miles City. A representative Of Tai
MINER was accorded the favor OF an inter
view with her in the afternoon, througl
the kind Offices of Mr.. Morris, her advanc
agent, and upon being introduced to Mad
emoisele in her sitting room in the Windso
Hotel, was received with an empressemen
that only Frenchwoman can exhibit will
naturalness. Mile. Rhea makes q ston
impression on first acquaintance. her dark
piercing eyes, and dark hair closely coilet
round head of classic shape, her we'll pro
portioned figure, rather above the mediu n
size, the elegance of manner that sits like
charm over her in repose, and the nervou
energy that she throws into her every ut
terance, the animation and ardor will
which she enters into discussions, and thu
intensely dramatic action with which sht
accompanies every word she speaks almost
uniting to produce as an ensemble one o.
the most charming women to be met any
where. Immediately upon ling seated
Mademoiselle went into raptur.s over the
| scenery through which she had come, and
expressed her surprise at the advancement
and progress she had seen in the towns
| through which che had passed. She speaks
with a most enchanting accent that Ell.
hances the pleasure OF listening to her.
How have you been satisfied with your
tour 80 far. Mademoiselle?"
ooh, very we'll indeed. Ny audiences
have been so appreciative. Why at Miles
City, where we could only play one night.
you could hear a pin drop in the last act.
1t was Camille and you know in cities the
gallery boys what you call guy the love
scenes, and found it very annoying, and
l was afraid the cowboys would do SO
there, but as told you there was the most
respectful attention from first to last.
And the recall after the last act!" and mere
Mademoiselle clasped her hands, threw
back her head and closed her eyes as only
Frenchwomen can with gesture implying
tiOn. .
"Mr. Morris has been promising great
things in the way of your wardrobe in
your several roles, Mademoiselle. Are you
going to enchant the ladies Of Butte with
fine dresses?"
"Oh in Camille and 'Frou-Frou' and
such plays you must have fine dresses to
play these parts intellie -ntly. At the same
time told Mr.. Morris he should say moth
ing about my dresses, only my acting"
shaking her head laughingly at the culprit,
who took it coolly. II was advised that
Camille has been played so often here
that it would not draw. But play an en-
tirely different version from that Of any
other-almost literal translation from
Dumas play
And your business in it, then, is differ
ent from Clara Morris and her school,
Mademoiselle?"
II play it as Frenchwoman and you
will see quite different character when l
play it from any other. MY dresses in it
are very rich and expensive, but why should
they not he? Camille is a woman with
plenty of means and when she is Armand 8
wife she dresses with all her taste and i,.-
genuity to please him. And with that class
OF woman and French, too, it means the
finest that money can procure. Then the
dying scene is entirely different. | copied
it from lfe-from relative OF mine who
died after two years sickness. die with
my ewes open, too, but it is true to life l
assure you"
"Ar. all the plays in your repertoire
finely dressed?"
"Oh, some of them are very plain. There
is The Country Girl an old English coined y
in which every line SPAR les with wit and is
full OF most amusing situations. 1t il
part love, but appear in"-with gesture
expressive Of diminutive skirts-"a girls
dress, and | assume boys disguise il. it.
But people will not have it. They say,
oh, what does Ma 'mselIe Rhea play such
ugly parts for and so / have to put on
those in which elegance OF costume is an
essential feature"
"How long did 1t take you to acquire
E glish, Mademoisele?"
'Only one month. 1t is so, I assure you.
went to London in the end OF April, and
in the beginning Of June l played Beatrice
in Much Ado About Nothing there
"That is something phenomenal, Made
moiselle."
The conversation then became general
and Mile. Rhea showed herself as brilliant q
convers ationalst as she is an actress, and
after charming half hour in which wide
range OF subjects was touched on, the re-
porter withdrew deeply impressed with the
actress powers OF entertaining.
THE PLAY AT THE GRAND.
Mile. Rhea made her first bow to Butte
la st night. and achieved q magnificent
triumph. There has never been such star
seen here before, and there has never been
such a superb company OF artists ut the
Opera House as the band of players with
which this famous woman mas surrounded
herself. The audience had anticipated
great deal. but they were hardly prepared
for a performance rvaling the best to be
found in Paris, London and New York. A
few words about the play presented are i'll
order before a criticism OF the players.
"Pvemalion aud Galatea" is sufficient of
A. novelty here to afford excuse for giving
it's story. Pygmalion, having married
Cvnisca, carved q statue OF Galatea, his
wife being the model. As his work
progresses he falls deeply in love with
it. Finally it is completed. a
perfect masterpiece. lacking only one thing
life. He prays the gods to bestow this
attribute upon it, and his prayer is heard
AS result. the love which he felt for the
statue is intensified hundred fold when the
marble has been changed to flesh and blood.
Galatea returns the sculptor's passion,
and Cynisca becomes deeply jealous Of her
strange rival. At the time OF Pygmal-
ions marriage with Cynisca, the goddess
Artemis had bestowed on each the gilt OF
calling the curse of blindness on the other
for conjugal infidelity. OF this gift Cynisca
now avais herself, beseeching Artemis in Il
passionate appeal. The goddess replies
with "a flash of lightning, and Pygmalion is
blind. F.; he third act shows the sculptor
abont to leave his home. Galatea approach.
es him, and Pygmalion thinking, in his
blindness that it is his wife, tells her that
he never really loved Gala tea,
and that she is to him no more than q
marble statue. Galatea shrinks under his
confession. and Cynisca, who has overheard
it, is crushed with grief for the infirm'ty
which, through her jealousy, she has
brought upon her husband. Again she be-
seeches the goddess Artemis, this time to
restore Pyqmalion's sight. Her prayer is
heard, and the sculptor as proof OF his
love, co, signs Galatea back to the stone
from which she came.
This brief outline will give no adequate
idea OF the briliancy, passion and pathos
of the play. The work, as everything 81
Gilbert's must be, is most cIeverly written,
flashing with wit, satire and humor. AS
Galatea, Rhea was charming. When the
curtains in the sculptor's studio were
drawn aside for the first time, she present.
ed as the statue vision of exquisite beau
ty The pose was perfect, the drapery
marvellous. When. at Pygmalion's bidding.
she moved from the pedestal, imbued with
life, she became the poetry of motion. As
she crossed the stage in her clinging, trail
ing drapery. her 1.-the and graceful figure
was displayed to excellent advantage, sug-
costing q willow swayed by the wind. A
e orfh nd hou